Oakland takes right approach on police-chief search

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has taken on the task of cleaning up Oakland’s police force with gusto.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Two Bay Area cities. Two searches for a new police chief.

Big difference.

San Francisco and Oakland both have vacancies at the top of their scandal-plagued police forces. Both cities claim to be conducting serious searches for new police chiefs.

Only Oakland appears to be following through on that promise.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has taken on the task of cleaning up Oakland’s police force with gusto. The department hasn’t had an official chief since June 17. In no small part that’s been due to officials’ determination to get a sex-trafficking scandal at the department under control — two replacement police chiefs from within the ranks appear to have been part of the “toxic, macho culture” for which Schaaf has slammed the police department.

It’s not going to be easy to find a new Oakland chief. It’s an understaffed department in a city with a relatively high crime rate, and more than a decade after a police misconduct case, the department is still being trailed by a federal monitor.

This year’s most recent scandal and ensuing investigations suggest that any new chief will have to make overhauling the department’s accountability measures as much of a priority as fighting crime.

Top cop headhunt

But Oakland is meeting the challenge with can-do spirit. Recognizing the importance of picking the best candidate during a time of departmental turmoil and national outrage over officer-involved violence, the mayor’s office has launched an exhaustive national search process. It’s also gathering lots of public input — 10 community meetings, online surveys, two slots for residents on the selection committee.

It’s a marked distinction from San Francisco, where the Police Department is beset by its own problems, including a racist text-messaging scandal and multiple use-of-force incidents that outraged residents. Yet, San Francisco’s chief selection process has been muted — to say the least.

The insider favorite, interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin, does not live in San Francisco and hasn’t shared basic information about his education. If you care about accountability, it’s a bad sign. Is City Hall paying attention?